Pumpkin Fish
by R-Chan Aka Rwar-Chan XD
Summary: After being encouraged by Kakei to have a social life, Kazahaya and Rikuou are persuaded to attend a Halloween party they had been invited to...


I can't remember why, but this took forever to finish XD I started it Halloween/Samhain 2003 and finished it early last year Anyway, this is the start of my recent fics You may notice that the use of Japanese words has decreased a lot compared to the earlier ones and its also... a lot longer It was originally created because I wanted to do another silly fic to promote my favourite time of the year XD Beware of Cardcaptor Sakura references Enjoy!

* * *

"Okay, Here's your pay Kudou-kun…!"

"WAI!" Kazahaya cheered, bounding over with a look of pure joy on his face, "Thank you Kakei-san!"

"And Rikuou's pay…"

The darker haired boy stalked over, a tad unenthusiastic.

"Thanks." He glared at the smaller boy who continued to cheer to himself quietly as he looked through the money in his hands, a small accumulation of dream bubbles hovering about him.

"Yay, yay…!"

"Ah yes, its Samhain tomorrow isn't it?" Kakei smiled, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Samhain?" Kazahaya blinked naively, "What's 'Samhain'?"

The shop's owner beamed brightly, "why, Halloween of course…!"

"Halloween? You mean… kids knocking on doors and demanding sweet things or they play some dumb trick on you?"

"That's not really the whole story, but yes… that's part of it…"

"Ano…"

"Why don't you both take the day off?"

"Eh?"

The lighter haired boy's face slowly began to show signs of suspicion. The day off? No jobs?

"What… do you want us to do on our day off?" He asked cautiously.

Kakei cheerfully held up two pieces of paper. "Here. A couple of girls dropped these off for you whilst you had your lunch break."

"Oh…?" Kazahaya carefully read the slips, "….. Huh? A party?"

Rikuou glared. "You want us to go to this party?"

"You don't _have_ to… I just thought it would be nice for you to both go and socialize with people your own age."

"Yeah, yeah not old people like us…!" came Saiga's amused voice as the man in shades emerged from the back of the shop.

The lighter haired boy cocked his head in thought, "I…um…"

"Like I said, you don't have to go. You could just stay in with Rikuou if you want."

Saiga's smirk widened. So did Kazahaya's eyes.

"Ah, okay!" The smaller boy clasped his hands together with a clap, smiling desperately, "I'll go! Its at 8pm isn't it? At that old English looking house they're knocking down next year?"

"Un." Kakei nodded, "It seems the owner moved out recently…"

"But then… do you think this whole party thing might actually be going on without the permission of the construction authorities?" Rikuou crossed his arms.

The lighter haired boy glowered, "Trust you to be a party pooper…"

"I'd rather not get in trouble with the police for something like that…" The taller boy smirked, "I bet there'd be fine to pay or something…"

"FINE?" Kazahaya held the envelope of money tighter, eyes widening in horror of the prospect at having to loose it all so soon. He turned nervously to Kakei, "Ano… do you think there would be a fine?"

The shops owner smiled reassuringly, "Oh, I think Rikuou's just trying to scare you… I honestly think the police will be too busy dealing with things closer to home…"

"Un, okay… I'll go… Huh? FANCY DRESS?" Kazahaya yelled at the invite, hair on end, "What the? What… WHAT?"

Rikuou shook his head.

Kakei smiled.

-

Samhain…Halloween… 7:06pm…

Kazahaya glared at the door.

Someone had knocked.

"Are you gonna answer that?" Rikuou sighed from his side of the room.

"Hmm…. What if its kids trick or treating?" The lighter haired boy muttered.

"Then just scare them off or something…"

"Huh, if we want to scare them, shouldn't _you_ answer the door?"

"Urusei."

The smaller boy returned to glaring at the door. The knock came again.

"Mou, what do they want?"

"Why don't you just answer the door and find out?"

"Why don't YOU answer it?"

"Because you're closer."

"HRMF." Kazahaya clenched a fist before getting angrily to his feet and stomping over to end the tension. He took a deep breath before pulling the door open, "Yeah, what d'you-"

"TRICK OR TREAT!"

"GIYAAA!" The lighter haired boy fell back as the combined yell force of about five kids, already on a sugar high, hit him.

Rikuou smirked.

"Kah…" The smaller boy pushed himself up, chest heaving, before he observed the 5 kids standing at the door in fancy dress with their bags held out hopefully , a look of expectation on their faces, "a…ano…"

"Ahem… we SAID… Trick or treat…!" One child piped up, one hand pulling at her witch's hat.

"You… want some sweets or something, right?" Kazahaya murmured, standing up and dusting himself off.

"UN!"

The lighter haired boy turned nervously to glare at Rikuou. "Do we have any sweets, or chocolate, or something?"

"I don't think so."

"Uhhh…." Kazahaya turned back to the small children, smiling nervously, "I'm very sorry, but we don't have any… uh… you can have some rice if you want?

"

"WHAT? No sweets?"

Another child said something in agreement (their false fangs muffling their words).

"Yeah… eto… sorry about that…" Kazahaya went to close the door.

"OKAY, YOU'LL BE SOR!"

-SLAM-

The smaller boy sighed, walking back over to his bed.

"Mou…"

The knock came again, Kazahaya, turning in surprise. "Can't they take a hint or something?"

He scowled, stomping back over and pulling the door open angrily. "LOOK, I TOLD YOU WE HAD NO SWEE!"

-SPLASH-

A water balloon hit him.

"…"

After dripping for a few seconds (and trying not to loose his temper over the giggling coming from the swiftly retreating delinquents as they charged back down the stairs), he slowly closed the door.

"…"

Rikuou smirked.

"Trick."

"…" The smaller boy cringed, clenching his fists before turning angrily to his companion, fangs bared and hair on end, "WHAT WAS THAT YOU JERK?"

"You got the trick…" the darker haired boy closed his eyes, "Even I could've told you not to answer the door so shortly after failing to treat those kids… You really are an idiot…"

"YOU BASTARD! NEXT TIME YOU ANSWER THE DAMN DOOR!"

"Huh…"

"TEME…."

-

8:15pm…

The now dry Kazahaya made his way up the path to the large gothic house, Rikuou following calmly.

Both had decided, rather spontaneously, that they would go in fancy dress, and that that fancy dress was as two drugstore assistants on their night off.

"This place looks creepy…"

"What, are you scared or something?"

The lighter haired boy growled, "No! I just want to know why and old English house was built here…!"

"Maybe the owner was English…" Rikuou muttered cynically.

"Mm…"

The two reached the door, Kazahaya reaching out timidly to use the gothic door-knocker.

-Ban-

-Ban-

-Ban-

Silence.

Kazahaya sweat dropped. "um…"

"Try it again."

-Ban-

-Ban-

-Ban-

Still silence.

Kazahaya blinked.

"Why aren't they answering?" He muttered to no one in particular, "I mean, its gone 8… the invite said it started at 8… what's going on here?"

The taller boy crossed his arms. This was getting dull already.

-Ban-

-Ban-

-Ban-

-Ban-

-Ban-

Kazahaya growled before the sound of a latch being taken off sounded, the handle slowly turning. A smile quickly formed on his face.

"Ah, hello-"

-SPLASH-

The lighter haired boy froze, water dripping from his now soaked locks.

"…."

"Oh! I'm sorry! I thought you were kids trick or treating or something!"

Kazahaya glowered, slowly and wetly looking up though his hair at a young girl about his age with dark blue eyes and shortish brown hair, dressed entirely in black with a witches hat on her head and smiling guilty whilst holding a couple more water balloons.

"You're the two guys who work at the drugstore, right?" She beamed, pulling the door open wider.

"Yeah, that's us." Rikuou mumbled, watching Kazahaya continue to drip gloomily whilst the music coming from inside suddenly seemed to increase in volume.

"Cool! Come on in! ah…" The girl blinked, "Hey, how come you're not in fancy dress?"

"We are… We're drug-shop workers on their night off…" The smaller boy murmured miserably.

The girl didn't appear to buy it. She huffed, a small pout forming on her dark lips.

"That's a stupid excuse! Ne, Kasumi!"

"Yeah?" came another girl's voice from inside the house.

"Go get the spare fancy dress stuff!"

Both Kazahaya and Rikuou's eyes widened in horror.

-

8:46pm…

Kazahaya blinked, readjusting the cat-ears. He was kinda relieved that this was satisfactory for those girls… From the look on their faces, he had thought that makeup was going to involved (or a dress), so really anything BUT that was going to be a relief… He glanced at Rikuou across the room, a small smile forming at the sight of the devil horns on his companion's head.

"Suits him perfectly…" He muttered.

Anyway, by this time the party was in full swing with the music still playing as loud as ever, and possibly a hundred or more guys and girls hanging out, drinking and partying in general in the dimly lighted, pumpkin scattered and false-cob-web-stuff atmosphere. Kazahaya, however, was decidedly acting a little antisocial, and was currently looking about himself quietly, taking in the hugeness of the house...

He had a feeling that this place would be great to explore…

A kinda urge…

He blinked before smiling brightly.

Well, at least that would be something to do…

-

The smaller boy crept up the stairs cautiously, trying to avoid getting caught in the cob-webs. Someone must have taken a hell of a long time to get all this stuff up…

It wasn't long before he found himself in a long corridor with several doors to choose from… well, the fact that some of the doors had happy couples doing happy things against them sort of limited his choices… But somehow, much to his confusion, he suddenly found himself drawn to one door in particular, half way down the corridor…

He slowly reached for the handle…

-

Rikuou sighed.

This was getting REALLY dull… And where the hell had Kazahaya gone? He was just over there a moment ago… Gradually, a slightly evil smile formed on the taller boy's lips. Of course, there was one sure cure for boredom…

-

The lighter haired boy shivered slightly as the door creaked closed behind him.

Wow, this room was eerie… Red walls…There was an old-fashioned four poster bed in the centre… the black, velvet curtains by the window drawn closed and traditional English lamps on the walls with the candles inside them creating a soft, ghostly yet relaxing glow…

Kazahaya took a step forward…. Now just why had he been drawn to this room? He would've had time to ponder the question further when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

His eyes widened.

"nn…nn… GIYAAAA!"

"Shhh…" came a soothing voice in his ear. He swiftly froze as the icy breath touched his skin.

"Anoo… Who're you?" He asked nervously, the stranger's hands moving to caress his neck. Eventually, since there was still no reply, he slowly turned his head. He gasped. His captor, to his surprise, turned out to be a stunning, handsome man with golden eyes and neatly gelled auburn hair. A seductive smile slowly formed on his pale lips, baring a set of very sharp ivory fangs. Kazahaya's eyes widened.

"g…g…GIYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

-

Rikuou strode along the corridor, hands loosely in his pockets. Kazahaya had to be up here somewhere…

Suddenly he heard a scream.

He only needed to pause briefly before breaking into a run, as if by habit…

The fact was the scream was instantly recognisable.

"What's happened to that idiot now?" He muttered before arriving at the door he had been sure the shriek had come from. "Oi, what've you-Huh?"

He wasn't certain that the sight he was presented with upon opening the door was quite what he had been expecting… Well, really, what he had been expecting was Kazahaya to be laying collapsed on the ground, entangled in a large quantity of either the fake cob-webs, or silly string… In fact the lighter haired boy was laying in another guy's arms with a dazed like expression on his face as the guy in question leant over him with his unusually sharp teeth about to pierce his throat.

Rikuou's natural reaction, of course, was to lunge at full speed at the stranger…

But before he could actually make contact, the figure seemed to disappear in one lightning fast motion, with the window at the other side of the room suddenly wide open with the curtains billowing about… and the guy with fangs no-where to be found…

It didn't take long for the taller boy to change his strategy, immediately turning his attention to the half conscious Kazahaya who was tumbling to the ground.

There was a thud.

"Nnn…"

"Oi, OI…!"

"Nnmm…" The smaller boy stared up at him with hazy eyes, "Na, Rikuou… What happened to that guy?"

"What?"

"That guy… I remember him smiling, then… uhh…" A look of puzzlement crossed the lighter haired boy's face, "I can't… remember…"

"He was going to bite your neck."

"Uh? HUH?" Kazahaya sat bolt upright, not really caring that he had being lying rather unresistingly in his companion's arms, "His teeth! When he smiled, he… and he was going to bite my neck… He was a vampire!"

"There're no such things as vampires." Rikuou muttered tiredly, getting to his feet.

The smaller boy jumped up angrily, "Then what was that guy?"

"Probably just some weirdo who got carried away… I think we should go back down stairs now unless you want people to start talking…"

"MOU!" Kazahaya whined, looking about himself nervously, "I was attracted to this room and I want to know why!"

"Attracted?" The taller boy scowled, "What's so attractive about this room?"

"I don't know!" Kazahaya sighed, collapsing on the bed, "That guy was in here… Maybe that was it… Ah! It must have been a vampire! Why else would I be drawn here like this?"

"……" Rikuou closed his eyes sceptically, turning away, "I'm going now… Huh?"

The window… hadn't it been OPEN?

Huh…

He glared…

The lock was on… But he was sure that when that guy disappeared it… it was open… Wasn't it?

"… weird..." He murmured, walking away.

"Maybe it was next door! Oi, Rikuou, lets look next door! OI!"

The taller boy ignored him as he walked out.

"OI, YOU JERK!" Kazahaya roared, cat ears popping up.

There was a creek.

"Huh? Uh… hello?"

Silence.

The smaller boy shivered before sweat dropping…

Then charged out the room.

-

9:34PM…

Kazahaya glared out the window…

There was something tugging at his mind, but…

He wasn't quite sure what…

"Ne Kudou-kun!" Came one of the girls' cheerful (and slightly tipsy) voice.

"Eh?"

"We're all going to have a huge game of hid and seek! You wanna play?"

"Hide and seek? Ano… okay…"

"Cool! Now, everyone's gonna hide in pairs so… you can go with… Himura-kun!"

"WHAT?" The lighter haired boy looked around in horror before spotting Rikuou by the stairs, smirking in amusement. "But…! Why do I have to go with HIM?"

"Well, you came here together… I thought it'd be easier since you already know each other and probably get along pretty well anyway…!" The girl giggled.

Kazahaya looked bemused.

"Okay!" Came the hostess' (the sweet young girl who's answered the door earlier) voice, "Is everyone in their pairs?"

The smaller boy snuck over quietly (and a little reluctantly) to Rikuou.

"You jerk…" He hissed, "I bet you volunteered to be a pair, didn't you?"

"No…" The taller boy smirked, "It was entirely up to them."

"Grr…"

"Alright! As soon as the 3 seekers start their count, you have 3 minutes to find a place to hide! On your marks! Get set! GO!"

Immediately, all the pairs rushed off in joyous excitement…

Well… Actually, Kazahaya stomped off angrily with his companion following uninterestedly behind.

"Come on, move it you bastard!" He growled, turning to scowl at the darker haired boy.

"Y'know that if you keep yelling like that, they're gonna find us no problem…"

"THEN DON'T GIVE ME SOMETHING TO YELL ABOUT!"

Deep within the house…

Something stirred…

It had been sleeping rather peacefully for the last hundred years or so…

But…

It had just got a rather loud wake up call…

"Keep it down you idiot."

"Who're you calling an idiot?"

The something glared at the one that awoken it…

It looked at his pale skin…

His lightish brown hair…

And his amber green eyes…

Yelling like that HADN'T been polite…

And _someone_ was going to pay…

-

"Hey, where do you think you're going…?" Rikuou sighed as Kazahaya ran off down the corridor.

"That room from earlier!" The lighter haired boy called, turning the corner.

They seemed to be the only ones left now, a total of 5 minutes remaining before the seeking began, and they still couldn't find anywhere to hide…

He looked about desperately. Just which door had it been?

"Ano… ano…"

"Well?" The taller boy sighed, crossing his arms like an older brother forced to play tea parties, "Which room was it?"

"I… uh…"

Hm… good question…

"I think… It was… This one!" The lighter haired boy reached for a random door's handle, quickly pulling it open.

"There! Huh?"

"Uh… are you sure this is the right room?"

"umm… yeeeah…"

"Really?"

"…. No."

"Idiot."

"Hey! At least I found a room where no one else was hiding! Eh? Hey look! Fireflies!"

"Uhh…. Do fireflies hover like that? I thought they kinda dart about…"

"They're fireflies!" Kazahaya beamed, turning cheerfully to the darker haired boy, "Of course they're fireflies! What else could they be?"

"Hitodama…"

Firey spirits that usually appear when you're about to die ;

"Hitodama?" The smaller boy blinked naively before sniggering, then eventually laughing out-loud, "Hahahahaha…!"

"……"

"Hahaha…ha…" He turned pale, laughs dying in his throat, "Hito…da…ma…?"

"Yeah."

"…." The lighter haired boy turned back to the lights nervously, staring uneasily, "You… you don't really think they could be…"

"No." Rikuou answered bluntly.

"Oh…kay then… um… well… lets go find another room then…!" Kazahaya walked off rather quickly, shortly followed by the still sceptical Rikuou.

Perhaps he had considered (being such a large party with annoying sociable people) that he had good reason to be… or rather not… since as the door slowly closed behind them… the hovering lights slowly burned away leaving nothing but a thin stream of steam… And an eerie chill in the room…

-

"10…! 9…! 8…!"

"Quick! Quick lets hide in here!" The smaller boy hissed, pulling open a door in one of the bedrooms.

Rikuou glared tiredly.

"I am not hiding in the closet with you."

heehee

"What? I don't wanna loose this game! Didn't you hear what they said? The first ones found have to do a forfeit! I don't wanna have to do a forfeit! It'll be BAD! Now get in here right now you jerk!" Kazahaya whispered angrily, tripping backwards and landing with a thud against the back of the closet, glaring irritably at the smirking Rikuou. "Teme…"

"3…! 2…! 1…! OKAY! READY OR NOT, HERE WE COME!"

The lighter haired boy's eyes widened, whispering as loudly as possible without giving away their location to the now seeking seekers and scrambling to get upright (without much success) "RIKUOU…! GET IN HERE….!"

"Fine, fine…" The taller boy sighed, climbing into the slightly claustrophobic hiding place as Kazahaya continued to try desperately to get up before he pulled the door shut.

"Phew…" he sighed, finally getting his footing, "okay, let's just… keep quiet…"

"You're telling _me_…?"

"Grr…"

Man… it was stuffy in there… kinda warm too… being that close to each other…

"Ah…" He blinked in the dark, shifting to observe where he was certain Rikuou was, "Rikuou?"

"What?"

"Where abouts are you?"

"Here… H-HEY! Watch yourself…!"

"What? What?"

"…." The taller boy's eyes narrowed in bemusement, "Careful where you put your hands you idiot…"

"Huh? Eh?"

"Just… put your hands in your pockets or something…"

"Okay…"

"O…Oi, Kazahaya…! Those are _my_ pockets…"

"Ah!" the smaller boy gasped in embarrassment, going red and pulling his hands away, "Y-You're behind me?"

"Apparently…"

Kazahaya shuffled carefully around, trying to face his 'team-mate' before loosing his footing again, collapsing forward, "Waa…!"

"Watch it!" Rikuou hissed in shock.

"What…? Why…? Where am I now…?" The smaller boy whined, trying to pull himself up.

The closet door was suddenly pulled open.

"FOUND YO-eh?"

Two of the seeking girls (who had been fortunate to hear Kazahaya's thudding and his repetitive ramblings, as well as also being lucky enough to be the ones to actually find the two), gasped at the sight they were presented with, one holding her hands to her mouth in embarrassment, the other just blinking nervously.

"A…anoo…"

Kazahaya's eyes widened in realisation at the position he found himself in: practically on his knees, clutching at the shirt around Rikuou's waist (the latter backed up against the closet's wall) for support…But worst of all was just where he had the side of his face pressed against…

His eyes widened.

"AH! N-no! no, no, no!" He cried, pulling away and waving his hands in defence at the two girls, "Th-this isn't what it looks like!"

One girl raised an eyebrow. The fact he had gone bright red (and had been rather out off breath when they had opened the door) didn't make it too convincing.

She smiled slyly.

"Oh kay then…"

"Its true!" Kazahaya wailed, getting to his feet before turning quickly to Rikuou in search of support of his claims, "Right? Right?"

"Hrmf…"

"RIKUOU!"

"Well, either way we've found you. There're still 20 other pairs to find… The other 34 pairs are down stairs deciding on a forfeit… You can go and join them, or if you want we could just leave you both _alone_…"

"NO! I'M GOING!" The smaller boy shot an evil glare at Rikuou before stomping off, "Stupid jerk…!"

His ramblings could still be heard as he gradually got further and further down the corridor. Eventually the two girls turned to the still glaring Rikuou.

"Anoo…Are you two really…?"

The darker haired boy sighed, closing his eyes and walking away.

"Saa…"

-

11:05PM…

Kazahaya huffed, staring out the window at the thrashing rain. He had thought it was kinda odd since it had been so clear earlier with the full moon and all… But he didn't really care by that point. All he wanted to do was go home. Half of the other guests had…

"Mou, Why are we still here…?"

"Ne, Kudou-kun!" came Kasumi's ever cheerful (and inebriated) voice, "Come play!"

"Huh…?" The lighter haired boy turned boorishly, blinking, "Play what?"

"Hee hee… what does it look like we're gonna play?"

"Uhh…"

The fact was even if everyone was sitting in a circle, giggling away with a bottle in the centre… it was all going to mean absolutely nothing to him.

Kasumi eventually lost her patience, grabbing the still confused Kazahaya's arm.

"Its spin the bottle! Y'know? The game where you SPIN the bottle and then whoever it lands on you have to kiss?"

"EHEEEEH?" The smaller boy pulled away in shock, "Wh-what are you saying? Why would I play?"

"Because it's a party game. And in case you haven't noticed, THIS is a party. Come on! Sit! Sit!"

"N-no! ah…" the lighter haired boy glanced around at the expectant players (i.e: most of the remaining guests) before suddenly spotting the smirking Rikuou amongst the group. He went red, yelling, "NO! NO WAY! NOT IF HE'S PLAYING!"

"Huh?" Kasumi blinked cutely, "Why not?"

"I know what'll happen! This sort of thing always happens! No doubt I'll spin it, and it'll land on him, or the other way round… And we'll end up kissing! I KNOW THAT'LL HAPPEN, SO I'M NOT PLAYING!"

"Aww, why not?" came one of the girl's pleading voices.

"Yeah! Please play Kudou-kun!"

"Kudou-kun!"

Kazahaya flinched in irritation. He had a feeling he wasn't going to get out of this one…

"Grr…" He huffed, collapsing, with much praise, beside Rikuou (he may not have been an expert at maths, but he had reasoned by the fact they were sitting right next to each other that the chances of the bottle spinning to more or less the same position was really unlikely).

"Okay! Who's first?"

"Kudou-kun!"

"Yeah Kudou-kun!"

Kazahaya cringed again. Damn…

"Okay Kudou-kun! Spin the bottle!"

The smaller boy shifted unhappily, crawling forward to 'spin the bottle', before retreating back. This wasn't going to be good, no matter what…

Eventually the bottle began to slow…

And slow…

Then… stop…

The good thing was it hadn't stopped on Rikuou.

The bad thing was it had stopped on another of the male guests... His eyes widened.

"A…ano…"

The group cheered (you could tell the majority were yaoi-fangirls), giving cries of encouragement. The other boy (called Ken for the sake of him actually having a name), shook his head in a 'oh well' kinda way, before moving forward towards the bewildered and slightly hesitant Kazahaya.

"Ano.. ano… anoo… anooo…" He whined, looking further nervous.

"Just get on with it." Came Rikuou's moody voice when the smaller boy suddenly felt himself being pushed forward, collapsing in the centre of the circle.

"Ugh!" he growled, pushing himself up and turning to glare angrily at the ever moody Rikuou who continued to watch on with his arms crossed, "teme…"

The smaller boy sighed irritably before turning back to the task at hand. He was rather hoping to have some time to work up to actually kissing the guy, but the fact was as soon he turned his head, he found his lips immediately making contact with Ken's, taking him completely by surprise.

The whole thing was over in a second.

"Bu…But…?" Kazahaya blinked as Ken went to sit back down. Was that it? He hadn't thought kisses were that fast… had he done it right?

"Okay! Who's next?"

The lighter haired boy (still wondering just what had happened since it had all been so fast), shuffled back over to his part of the circle, Rikuou watching him indifferently.

"Hm…"

"You are such an idiot, you know that?"

"H-hey!" Kazahaya snarled, turning angrily to his companion as the game continued around them, "Why am I an idiot? Because I can't kiss?"

"You can kiss..."

"Eh?"

"…But you're still an idiot."

"WHY?"

"Because you're so hesitant to get close to people…"

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING! You're so cold and cruel, how can anyone get close to you? You don't even make an effort!"

"I don't need…." The taller boy paused before cutting the conversation altogether, "hrmf…"

"What? See! You never tell me anything about yourself…!"

"I wasn't aware you were that desperate you to get to know me."

"I!"

"Himura-kuuun! Its your turn…!"

Rikuou leaned forward before Kazahaya could finish, spinning the bottle and collapsing back to his position.

"You're the idiot! YOU!"

"How am I an idiot?"

"How am _I_ an idiot?"

"Because that's just how you are. An idiot. Idiot, idiot, idiot-"

"TEME! STOP CALLING ME AN-"

The two froze, faintly aware of crazed cheering going on around them.

Both slowly turned to find that the bottle had stopped. And what's more…

It had stopped on Kazahaya…

"E…e…EHEEEEH?" The smaller boy cried in shock, eyes widening.

Rikuou sighed.

"Great…"

"NO! NO WAY! I _KNEW_ THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!" Kazahaya wailed, shaking his head desperately, "I refuse! I-I forfeit! Anything but this!"

"Aww…! Go on Kudou-kun!"

"Yeah! Himura-kun's up for it!"

The taller boy raised an eyebrow. Just what were they basing _that_ on?

"IIYADAA! I don't want to!"

"Go on! Go on!"

The circle started clapping their hands in rhythm.

"KISS, KISS, KISS, KISS!"

Kazahaya felt like he could pass out at any second from the pressure. How could Rikuou still look so calm at a time like this?

"Lets just get it over and done with, okay?"

"Eh?" The smaller boy blinked, "Wh… what are you saying?"

A pair of dark green eyes shifted to glare at him.

"Ah…" Kazahaya froze, "y..you can't be serious…?"

"Come here."

"EHEEEH?" He gasped as the taller boy's stronger hands gripped his shoulders, pulling him forward, "R…RIKUOU?"

"…"

He felt he should be struggling. But nothing seemed to happen. No matter how much his mind yelled 'Get the hell away from him', his body didn't want to move. It was as if he had been paralysed…

Even when Rikuou slowly leaned forward…

His eyes closing…

Their lips about to meet…

A scream pierced the air.

"Eh?"

The guests all became silent.

"Wh.. what was that?" Kasumi asked nervously.

"I don't know… come on, some one might have gotten hurt or something…"

"Yeah, lets go see…!"

The circle gradually dispersed, some of the guests returning to chatting and drinking, others following Kasumi and the other girl up the stairs to find the source of the scream.

"What happened…? Who was that?" Kazahaya blinked before suddenly realising just how close he and Rikuou were…"WAA! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"… I have a bad feeling about this…"

"YOU-huh? What?"

The taller boy pushed himself to his feet, looking about himself suspiciously.

"Something's not right… Don't you get that feeling? You're better at picking up these things than me, I'm surprised you didn't notice…"

"I can't sense a thing…"

"Nothing?"

"Not a thing since I was in that room…"

"…… Come on, lets go look…"

"Ah! Wait!" Kazahaya jumped up a little unsteadily before rushing after the darker haired boy.

-

They weren't even half way up the stairs when they heard another scream, running the rest of the way to find the crowd outside one of the bedrooms.

"Ne, what happened?" The smaller boy asked a bystander.

"Some girl's been killed!"

"WHAT?"

"How?" Rikuou asked calmly.

"I don't know! There's just a look of pure horror on her face…! Like she was scared to death or something!"

"S…scared to death!" Kazahaya went pale, shivering, "A…ano… has anyone called the police?"

"Yeah, Kasumi was-"

"AH! THE PHONE'S BEEN CUT OFF!"

One of the girl's in the crowd started to sob, the others starting look more and more nervous.

Rikuou crossed his arms, "…"

"OKAY! LETS GO!" the smaller boy turned anxiously to his companion, a nervous smile on his face, "Right Rikuou? I-I mean, we have work tomorrow, and… and… Right?"

The darker haired boy closed his eyes.

"A girl has just died and you're running away? Huh… what a wimp…"

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

"Yeah, I think I get that by now…" Rikuou shook his head before looking down at the still panic stricken Kazahaya, "In case you haven't noticed, I'm standing right here… If anything happens, I'll make sure you don't get in the way…"

"Promise? Promise you won't let me get hurt?"

"Yeah, whatever…"

"Ah! Okay!" The still half-hysterical Kazahaya laughed, walking cheerfully away, "Okay! Lets go somewhere else…! Come on Rikuou…!"

"… Idiot."

The smaller boy continued to walk carelessly down the corridor before halting, turning to look at the door beside him… Wasn't that…?

"… Ah! This was it! This was the room!" He yelled, pushing the door open and rushing in.

"OI, WAIT!" Rikuou yelled, running after him.

"GIYAAA!"

"Kazahaya!" He yelled, getting to the door only to have a terrified kitty Kazahaya run into him, shivering like crazy.

"HITODAMA! HITODAMAAA!" He wailed, gripping his companion's shirt, hair still on end.

"…" a little sceptically, Rikuou sighed, walking calmly in with the smaller boy shifting to stand behind him, using him as a human shield more or less, "What do you mean hitodama?"

"They were there! There by the bed!"

"There's no hitoda…"

He blinked, eyes widening.

Hovering, just a little way above the bed, were balls of fire with an odd blue tint to them… Rikuou froze.

"Ah… what…?"

"What? What?" The lighter haired boy whispered, gripping him tighter, "What is it? Are they still there? The hitodama? Are they still there?"

Of course, sceptics are some of the hardest people in the world to persuade otherwise… But Rikuou was just downright stubborn.

He sighed.

"A prank."

"Eh?"

The taller boy shook his head, turning to glare at his protectee.

"This is a Halloween party, right?"

"Un….?"

"I get the feeling all this 'terror'… is just someone's idea of a practical joke…"

"Really? Really?"

Rikuou glared harder. What was with him? Even when he was at his most paranoid, he was never _this_ panicky… kept on repeating himself… the way he was gripping his shirt like that was also starting to hurt…

"Why don't you go find something to touch so you can find out?"

"Okay! Come on!"

Kazahaya pulled his 'bodyguard' away cheerfully.

-

11:55pm…

"Right…" The smaller boy smiled schemingly, looking about, "Kasumi and that other girl organised the party… One of them must surely know just what's going on…"

"Get on with it." Rikuou muttered with a sigh.

"Shut up! This needs planning! (I don't want anyone else to think I'm a pervert!)"

"Too late for that now."

"WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?"

"Just go tell her what a great party it is and shake her hand…its not that hard…"

"WHAT DID YOU MEAN YOU JERK?"

"That's it… I've had enough…"

"O-OI! WHERE'RE YOU GOING?"

"Anywhere you're loud shrieking isn't…"

"FINE!" Kazahaya snarled at his evading partner's back before turning back to observe Kasumi nervously talking with some of the other guests. "Now… A…ano…! Ashida!"

"Huh?" Kasumi looked up in surprise.

"Hey, I… uh… just wanted to say… um… what a great party this is so far…!" The lighter haired boy held out his hand brightly.

Kasumi blinked.

And blinked.

Then gasped, a bright smile on her face.

"Kudou-kun! You're such a gentleman! Of course I'll dance with you!"

"Ah, no! I..!"

Too late.

Why did he have to wait until a slow dance to put his plan in motion?

With maximum resistance, he was dragged out onto the dance floor.

"And I love this song…!" Kasumi giggled, putting her arms around Kazahaya's neck, "Great…!"

"Uh… um…"

Oh well… at least he wouldn't have to worry about the 'how to get close enough' part of his plan…

Now…

He focused…

Focused….

Searching…

Her mind…

Nothing.

"Heh?" Kazahaya blinked.

What the hell was going on here? This usually all came so easily to him, sometimes at the slightest touch, so why couldn't he… Or maybe _she_…

"Kudou-kun, are you just going to stand there or are you going to dance?" Kasumi blinked, realising that her dance-partner was frozen to the spot.

"Ah… gomen… I-I have to go somewhere…! Um… I'll be right back…!" The lighter haired boy excused himself, running off.

He was beginning to feel that panic re-manifesting…

-

Rikuou glared in bemusement.

"What?"

"Please…! Uh… I'll be quick…! I won't look too deep, just enough to make sure its working…"

The taller boy didn't look too convinced, but he eventually sighed, holding out his hand.

"Fine… Go ahead…"

"Right!" Kazahaya nodded quickly taking his hand…

Focusing…

Searching…

His eyes flicked open, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Well?"

"….AH! MOU!" He cried, shaking his head, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON…? WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?"

"You mean it didn't work?" Rikuou looked a little surprised.

"Something's wrong! Why can't I do it…? Why?" The smaller boy turned desperately to his companion, his face pale with fear, "What's going on here?"

"…" The darker stared silently… helplessly…

Just what _was _going on?

-

12:23am…

Kazahaya sighed, staring gloomily out into the night. The rain still hadn't stopped…

"Maybe its alcohol…"

"No… I haven't drunk anything…" The smaller boy replied moodily, still glaring despondently, "I'm sure it has to do with that room… or… that guy…"

Rikuou gazed briefly at his companion before closing his eyes. "Okay… fine… suppose he _was_ a vampire… he would be a supernatural entity of something like that right…?"

"I guess…"

"Then maybe… since you've got 'supernatural' abilities… it has something to do with that…" The taller boy sat down beside him, muttering, "So really…All we need to do is find him…"

Kazahaya bowed his head further, hair whisking over his eyes. "I don't… want it back…"

"What?"

"I don't want it back…" The lighter haired boy shook his head, "My so called 'gift'… I don't want it… its annoying…"

"…Idiot."

"WHAT?"

"You're an idiot… You think any of us really want them? Such abilities…" Rikuou glared from the corner of his eye, "When they cause so much trouble for us and the people we care about? Huh… you're such a wimp…"

"WELL EXCUSE ME!" Kazahaya snapped, leaping to his feet, "Just because you cope so well!"

"You do realise that if you don't get your power back… you can say goodbye to those extra jobs of ours… And that extra pay you're so desperate to get…"

"Ah…" The smaller boy calmed a little, blinking.

That… Dammit. He had to be right about everything , didn't he?

"Fine. Lets find that guy and figure out a way to get it back." He huffed, collapsing back into his chair.

Rikuou checked his watch briefly before getting to his feet.

"Come on then. Let's check up stairs for him."

"Ah…but I'm tired…!" The smaller boy whined, head lolling back lazily, "Its getting late… I've had a hard day… I've been attacked, had more than one water balloon thrown at me… and I've witnessed a murder…! I just want to go back to the drugstore, go to bed and have a long sleep…"

The darker haired boy glared, crossing his arms.

"…"

"Wh…what?" Kazahaya muttered, half confused at his companion's expression.

"Its your power. Now get up and look for it."

"Ah… Fine…"

-

12:32 am…

"Mou, I don't like it up here! Vampires, hitodama…the scene of a murder…"

"Will you shut up?" Rikuou sighed, opening another door, "The sooner we find this vampire guy or whatever, the sooner we can go home…"

"But…! But what if he doesn't have my power?" The smaller boy was getting panicky again, "Then… then he'll… do you think he's _really _a vampire?"

An exasperated sigh.

"No… I don't think he's rea-"

"He'll bite my neck and drink my blood! That's… that's just…! MMF!"

The taller boy glared, hand pressed firmly over the slightly irate Kazahaya's mouth.

"Keep it down or you'll be left to look for him all on your own…No protection…and don't expect me to come running if you scream… OKAY?"

"….mmf…"

The lighter haired boy struggled a little before being released, shooting a deadly glare in the other boy's direction. "…jerk…"

"Idiot." Rikuou murmured before blinking, "Hey… isn't that it?"

"What?"

"This room. Isn't it the one from earlier?"

"Uhh… Hey! Don't go in alone!" Kazahaya whined at the prospect of being left alone himself as his companion proceeded into the chamber. "WAIT!"

The taller boy sighed. For someone who had the aim of living alone… he certainly didn't seem to like _being_ alone…"Hurry up." He sighed, glaring at the window… then the chair… and the bookcase…

"This isn't it! MOU, why the hell does this house have so many rooms?"

"Because it's a mansion. Now be quiet and look. This is the last room, so this HAS to be it…"

"But its NOT! There wasn't a bookcase…!" The lighter haired boy yelled, stomping over to glower at the many, many books, "And the curtains were ragged! not… huh? Ne… look at these books!"

"What?"

"They're in English…"

"The previous owner was English."

It probably wasn't polite to touch other people's stuff… but Kazahaya couldn't help but take a look at one…

"Ack, its dusty…" He coughed, carefully opening it, "… C…CR… Ne, Rikuou…? Can you read English?"

"A little."

"What does this say?"

"…CLOW REED…"

"What does it mean?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"You said you can read English!"

"I didn't say I could understand it."

"TEME…" Kazahaya clenched a fist. A lot of good he was…

"What're the other books?"

"… Huh…? This one isn't English… But these look like European magic symbols…"

Rikuou turned to glare at the red chair by the window, eyes narrowing.

"…"

"Ne, this is in English…! What does it say? CR…CROW…CA…CAH…Heh? Na, what's wrong?"

"There's something odd about this room… that chair…"

"I can't sense it… Ah…! This is great! I can touch anything and know that I wont get some weird images or someone else's memories in my head anymore…! Waii…"

The taller boy walked over to the chair, investigating further before turning his attention to the fireplace…

"Look…! These books must be really old right? Probably ancient? I can just touch them and nothing…! I can finally live normally…!"

"It would probably be better at this point if you HAD your powers… it would make all this a whole lot easier…"

"But THIS wouldn't even be happening if I still had my powers right? If I had my powers, we wouldn't be looking for them in the first place, right? Right?"

"… Scary."

"What?"

"You just said something logical." The darker haired boy smirked, "Must be a full moon…"

"OI! Huh? Ne… Do you think this place has any secret passages?"

"…"

Why did he even bother asking his opinion when it really didn't matter to him in the least what he said?

He sighed, feeling the sarcasm rising up inside of him.

"Maybe if you find one or something we'll find a secret lab where they're making a clone of you as we speak…"

"Heh? Do… do you really think?"

"Ahh, will you just SHUT UP!"

Kazahaya blinked, shocked at the sudden lack of tolerance from his companion.

"A…u…e…" He mumbled.

"You really are an idiot you know that? No wonder you fail at every attempt of education when you still have the mentality of an five year old!"

"I…o… OI! Why are you being so mean all of a sudden?"

"Because you're beyond all patience!" Rikuou sighed angrily, getting to his feet, "You really think there's a secret passage? Huh? Well then just pull this lantern and we'll find out!"

"…"

Kazahaya pouted, still a little annoyed, making his way over before firmly grasping the lantern and pulling it down.

Nothing.

He wasn't smiling, but the expression on Rikuou's face was that of pure conceit.

"… There. See? Now will you get it into your head: there are no vampires, no werewolves, and no secret passa-"

He froze.

There was a slight rumbling sound as the fireplace turned, revealing (of all things) a passage way dimly lit by candles.

Rikuou was dumbfounded…

…And the look of smugness was now firmly placed on Kazahaya's eerily lit face.

-

"Say it one more time and I swear I'll gag you, tie you up and leave you here."

"You're just tetchy because I was right and YOU were… what again?"

"I'M WARNING YOU."

"One more time, what was it again? Hm? Oh, that's right…you were WRONG!"

Rikuou stopped, turning to glower with a stare so deadly, it was enough to make Kazahaya hallucinate hitodama hovering all around the dimly lit corridor.

He shut up immediately.

"…"

"…"

The two continued to walk.

They had been doing so for about 5 minutes now, and although Rikuou was _encore_ sceptic, he couldn't help but imagine just where they were headed.

In Kazahaya's case, he had already thought of practically every possibility ranging from a secret lab that was cloning him into a vampire super monster with special powers beyond what normal vampires usually have, to an ancient native American burial ground (which was fairly unlikely considering their current geographical position, but still…)

Eventually the end came into view… dark…

The smaller boy shivered, coming to a halt.

"Ne… Rikuou…"

"What?"

"You… You will protect me right? No matter what happens?"

"What, you're scared?" Rikuou smirked, turning.

"NO!…Well… I'm… I'm _worried_…"

"… About what?"

"About… being left alone… in the dark…"

"… SERIOUSLY? Whatever happened to the whole – 'I'm going to live alone no matter what', thing? You're going to live with the lights on 24/7? Don't you even know how much the electricity costs will be doing that?"

"Shut up! You… You wouldn't understand…"

"…"

Kazahaya looked sorrowful, bowing his head.

"Just… just don't, okay?"

"…Okay, fine."

The taller boy reached for the other's hand, gently clasping it before continuing down the passage.

A pensive look clouded his face.

What was with him? He was fine in the dark that time when they were looking for that vase at the festival… Same situation really…but…

Why did he choose to have a fear of the dark _now_?

Was…

Was it because he had lost his power…?

"…" The darker haired boy slowly closed his eyes, "We'll get it back you know."

"Huh?"

"Your power."

"…"

"…"

"…Don't…"

"…?"

Kazahaya looked embarrassed, "Don't… let go…"

"… Okay."

The two entered the darkness, a stale, cold smell filling the icy air…

Eerily quiet…

Rikuou felt the smaller boy's hand tighten in his own.

"I can't see a thing… We should've brought a candle or something… something to light the way…"

The lighter haired boy closed his eyes, drawing in the scent.

"Dry…"

"Come on, let's keep moving…"

"Un."

Something echoed in the distance… a bell…

Kazahaya's eyes widened nervously. "Wh… what was that?"

The tinkle came again… a little louder…

"R…Rikuou…"

The taller boy tensed a little as the other moved closer against him, seeking protection.

"Not so close you idiot… You want to have a repeat of that incident in the closet?"

"…"

Again came the bell… nearer than before…

Kazahaya was now looking desperately, uselessly into the darkness that surrounded him. His heart was pounding… body shivering…he was starting to panic again.

"Calm down…" Rikuou whispered in a vague attempt to comfort him, also staring into the dark.

Suddenly, through the black, a soft flicker of light glowed… shimmered…

"There…! Let's go…!"

"AH! RI-RIKUOU YOU JERK! SLOW DOWN…!" The smaller boy wailed as he stumbled after his companion.

Closer and closer…

The light getting brighter until…

"What?"

"Huh?"

The pair halted, blinking.

"…"

A goldfish. An unusually large goldfish was hovering… swimming around and around in the air… glowing strangely…

"…What the hell is this?"

"It's a fish… I.. I think..?"

The fish twirled a little more before halting, turning to face them, hovering eerily.

"GEH?" Kazahaya gasped, taking a step back.

The fish, whilst quite clearly being a fish, had facial features scarily similar to that of a carved Jack-o-lantern.

…and the smaller boy was starting to feel a little weirded out at the way it was staring at him like that.

He sweat dropped.

"R..Rikuou…"

"What?"

"Help."

Rikuou looked bemused before turning to glare at the fish. "… Why do I get the feeling that THIS is behind everything?"

"Huh?"

The fish gave forth a creepy cackle like laugher, the sinister, toothy grin not changing as its hollow eyes continued to watch disturbingly.

Kazahaya moved back further before suddenly realising he was still clutching the taller boy's hand tightly.

He went red, quickly pulling away. "AH!"

"…"

He probably would've had time to give the darker haired boy a look or disgust with the typically flustered air accompanying it (although he usually hoped no-one would notice this, everyone did), except the ominous sound of footsteps had started to echo in the dark… all around them…

Rikuou looked nervous as the fish glowed brighter to reveal the source:

Zombies. Rotting, disfigured, zombies.

Frankenstein's monster.

A pack of werewolves.

And some very handsome vampires.

And they were all, unfortunately, starting to surround them…

"Ah…ano…" Kazahaya blinked nervously, his grip on his companion's shirt tightening, "You think… these are all just guys in suits… or…?"

"What, don't tell me you think they're real?"

"Um… there is a flying goldfish that looks like its half jack-o-lantern though… you believe that, right?"

"Yeah."

"… should we run?"

The pack of Halloween stereotypes were starting to close in.

"I think we should hit the fish."

"YOU hit it!" The lighter haired boy wailed, cowering as the fish gave forth a second wave of eerie laughter. "Ah, why is it looking at me like that? What'd I do to deserve this?"

Rikuou sighed. He had actually considered himself, all this was simply to see that look on Kazahaya's pretty face. It was hilarious. But since when have fish been expert tormentors? Weren't they supposed to only have a memory of 5 seconds or something like that?

"Mou, what're we going to do…?"

"What, how come now its 'we'?"

"I don't have any powers! I'm, helpless!"

"More than usual…"

"HEY!"

"Keep it down… I wouldn't be surprised if all this was just to shut you up…" The taller boy shook off the other before walking a little way forward and crossing his arms. "One more sound out of you and you can just forget about me being your bodyguard… got it?"

"How can I keep quiet when I could be eaten by a zombie, mauled by a werewolf, crushed by a monster or… or seduced… by a vampire at… at any…"

"Huh?"

The darker haired boy blinked, turning quickly since he knew something _must_ have been wrong if Kazahaya had actually shut up.

In fact, he was on the mark.

Kazahaya, a dazed, trance induced expression on his face, was slowly being drawn forward by one of the vampires.

"O-OI! What're you doing, idiot?" Rikuou yelled going to run forward when the smaller boy suddenly collapsed into the vampire's arms, head lolling back sleepily to expose his neck. "Kazahaya!"

The vampire smiled seductively, leaning to brush his lips over the smooth, delicate skin of the boy's neck shortly followed by his tongue, tasting the unbroken flesh.

Rikuou growled, going to step forward when the vampire lifted his head to smirk amusedly at him. A sudden, shocked gasp escaped his lips as his dark green eyes widened, pupils shrinking as he took in the sight before him…

Like…

Like a reflection…

The vampire which held Kazahaya in his arms was a mirror image of himself… raven black hair, dark green eyes… every feature of his face right down to the way his lips curved into that smirk…

He scowled hard, tensing.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Not a word. The vampire twin simply continued to smirk before opening his mouth wide to reveal a set of ivory fangs, moving to bite the still motionless victim's neck.

"NO!" The taller boy charged forward, thrusting his hand forward to send a psychic blast straight at the attacker. Unfortunately, rather than being the strike Rikuou had hoped would cause him to release the smaller boy, the strangely glowing energy froze just inches away before seeming to slowly become absorbed by the creature whose sharp toothed smirk widened to un-natural proportions.

Kazahaya moaned quietly.

"Dammit…" Rikuou snarled, turning to glare up at the fish which was swimming around and around again before halting, giving yet another evil cackle. "Okay, what's going on? What the hell are you? What the hell's all this?"

"Ri…Rik…u…"

"Ah…" The darker haired boy turned quickly to find Kazahaya shivering a little before turning his head weakly to watch him with quivering, hazy eyes.

"He…help…"

"I'm trying. Just… just hold in there, okay?"

"…u…un…"

Rikuou snarled again before rushing forward. If psychic attacks had no effect… then there was a chance that physical…

He roared, striking out to punch the still smirking mirror image before him.

There was a crack. Then a puff of smoke.

And the vampire doppelganger was gone, leaving Kazahaya to fall limply to the ground.

"KAZAHAYA!" The taller boy collapsed to his knees, swiftly catching the other in his arms before retreating back to the centre of the now motionless circle. "Kazahaya, oi! Wake up you idiot…!"

"Nnn…" The lighter haired boy's eyes quivered hazily, still barely open in the dim light.

"Oi…Can you hear me?"

"R...Rik…y…you…"

…_Yeah. I can hear you._

_But…_

_But Rikuou…_

_You sound so quiet…_

_So… far away…_

"Can you hear me?"

The smaller boy moaned again. He was trying so hard to speak… What had happened to his voice?

"U…un…"

The fish had started to make a creepy growling sound, the carved, toothy grin turning upside down into a menacing snarl.

"You stay here okay…? I'll try to do something about these guys…"

"A…ah…"

Rikuou smiled slightly, getting to his feet. Really… he was such an idiot…

Now, what was he going to do about all this? The aggressors seemed a little daunted after that attack on the vampire doppelganger… Maybe attacking them head-on like that would be the most effective course of action…

He smirked. Despite having seen things most people would refuse to believe… this was beyond a joke.

"Ready…"

The pumpkin fish went silent, the apparitions surrounding the two boys glowing a strange colour before slowly evaporating into lots of small, fuzzy orange lights, hovering for a moment or two before floating to re-accumulate around the still growling creature, merging…

The darker haired boy took a step back. That didn't seem too good…

Running suddenly seemed like a very good idea.

Kazahaya moaned again, softly.

What was going on? He couldn't make much out right now… everything was kinda hazy… misty… and… and…

What was that moving up his leg?

The lights by now had completely covered the hovering fish, and were starting slowly diffuse again, sinking down, into the cold stone floor…

The last faint glows of illumination gradually fading away until…

Black…

Rikuou breathed in deep, feeling his lungs fill with the damp, musty air.

"Kazahaya… Are you okay?"

"…."

"K…Kazahaya?"

A faint tinkle of a bell echoed somewhere in the dark just as before.

He swallowed hard before carefully, cautiously kneeling down, reaching out blindly in a vague attempt to find his companion.

"Kazahaya, where are you? You better not have moved or… or…"

The ringing came again, fainter.

"Oi! Kazahaya?"

He gasped as a cold hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, fingers clasping weakly.

The sound of the smaller boy's deepening breaths suddenly came to his attention.

"Kazahaya..."

"…a…i…ite…"

"Kazahaya? What's wrong? What's happening?"

"A…ah…!"

The taller boy reached out desperately, wrapping his arms tightly around the writhing form of the other before leaning up desperately to find, it would have seemed, that something else was holding onto the boy. He cringed, pulling hard with his arms tightly around his slender waist.

"What the? What is this?"

"Ri…Riku...! A…AH…!"

_What the heck is going on?_

Something… something was holding onto him…

His legs… ankles…like… its fingers were actually going inside of him… into his flesh…

Tight… It was hurting… too tight!

_Rikuou… help me…!_

Kazahaya moaned louder, writhing again.

"H-HOLD ON!" Rikuou yelled into the dark, giving one last pull before whatever it was that had Kazahaya in its grasp decided at that moment to _let go_…

Both tumbled back, collapsing through the black onto the cold stone floor.

The taller boy sighed. He just knew Kazahaya had landed on top of him… no doubt in some awkward position… At least they were probably some distance away from those girls… That was, if the party hadn't finished yet…

"Ne… are you okay?" He nearly whispered, sitting up to feel just where Kazahaya was… that must have been his head slumped against his chest… breathing gently… He closed his eyes, smiling a little in relief. "…idiot…"

"Nnn…"

Ever so carefully, Rikuou took the smaller boy into his arms, getting to his feet.

Now… how were they going to get out of here?

-

1:28am…

Rikuou exhaled heavily with relief as the soft, fuzzy glow of an apparent way out slowly came into view.

"Mmn…"

"Better yet?"

"R…Rikuou?"

"Ah, you can talk." The taller boy smirked, stopping for a moment so that Kazahaya could get his bearings, "Can you walk?"

"Wh…wha…? AH!"

-Thud-

"Land on your feet in the future…"

"O…OI! WHAT DO YOU-huh? AH! A way out!" The smaller boy jumped up excitedly before stumbling back, light headed, and collapsing into his ever smirking companion's arms. "Ugghh… my head…"

"Anyone would think you had a hang over…"

There was a faint ringing again.

Rikuou turned to glower at the darkness.

Kazahaya flinched.

"Ohh… no waaay… Not again…"

There was a flicker of light like a firefly which was shortly followed by soft, orange glow, then a flash of light.

The pumpkin fish was back, and so was the annoying, cackle like laughter.

The darker haired boy glared irritably. "Can't you just go away…?"

"Nnn…ngh…"

Kazahaya clutched his head in recoil. It felt like he had a migraine or something… It wasn't helping that the stupid fish kept laughing like that… laughing… and laughing… and laughing… and-

"MOUUU! WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP?" He roared, lunging at the apparition to throw a devastating right hook which resulted in the fish going green, inflating some what, then deflating like a blown up balloon that had just been released, whirling off into the shadows with a high pitched screeching sound.

Kazahaya growled clenching a fist.

"AND DON'T COME BACK YOU STUPID… STUPID… FISH!"

Rikuou blinked in shock.

Now why couldn't he have just done that before?

-

"Ah! Kudou-kun! Himura-kun!" Kasumi beamed, rushing over as the two boys – somehow covered in cob-webs – emerged from under the stairs.

"H…hi…" Kazahaya smiled best he could, still clutching at his head.

"You missed it!"

"Missed what?"

"Those guys… The girl we found… It was all a big set up! But I guess she gets the award for best actress, ne? I mean… she really, REALLY looked dead! Make up was fantastic really…" the girl beamed, nodding to herself, "though I thought the guys went a bit far by cutting the phone line… got everyone really worried there for a second…Whatever possessed them to do that, I'll never know…"

The two boys turned to each other, a bemused expression on their faces.

"Oh yeah…! where exactly did you two go? Everyone was kinda worried that something might have happened, but then Naoko and Rika said that you guys were… well… sort of an item…?"

Kazahaya exploded. "WHAT?"

"They said they found you two in some what of a _compromising_ position earlier during hide and seek…" She grinned, putting her hands behind her back innocently, "So… we thought we'd better leave you alone…"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'AN ITEM'? WE'RE NOT GOING OUT!" The smaller boy cried, shaking his head angrily in an attempt to cancel out the pain he was inflicting on himself by yelling so loud, "WHY DOES EVERYONE ALWAYS _ALWAYS_ THINK THAT WE'RE GOING OUT? Ah…"

He had touched Rikuou, getting a sudden flash of a not so distant memory…

The raven haired vampire, licking his throat… and Rikuou's anger rising up inside of him before he had felt the abrupt shock penetrating the rage as the creature had looked up… A mirror image of Rikuou… smirking before baring its fangs… going to bite… then the shock sensation of fear… Rikuou calling out in desperation…

"_NO!"_

"WAAA!" He gasped pulling away with a jolt, breathing hard with reddened cheeks.

Rikuou and Kasumi were both watching him in surprise.

Kazahaya went redder. "Um…I just want to know WHY…"

Rikuou sighed, crossing his arms. "Saaa…"

"Wellll…" Kasumi gave a bright smile, "We're all heading off now back to my house for a scary horror movie marathon… wanna come?"

"Ah…"

"…"

A sudden look of desperation crossed both boys' faces.

"We… we really should be getting back to the shop…! Have work tomorrow… um… yeah…! lots and lots of work…! Really should get some sleep…! Its been a long night, right Rikuou?"

"Uh, yeah… Kakei'll probably be expecting us… we shouldn't stay out too late… Especially with all the work we've got tomorrow…"

"So…um… thanks for inviting us..! bye!"

"b…bye…?" Kasumi blinked inanely, waving nervously as the two boys disappeared swiftly out the front door. "…'work'..? huh...what do they take me for…? Kudou-kun acting so embarrassed… Himura-kun staying so quiet…Its _so_ obvious…"

-

"Ugghhh…" Kazahaya moaned, collapsing on his bed.

"Still hurts?"

"Y…yea-oww…"

Rikuou sighed, raking back his hair, "It would've been nice to have a moment of normality…"

"U…un… But… I'm kinda glad… I got my power back…"

"What'd you see?"

"Um…um…not much… just… when the vampire had me and… and was going to bite me… Its strange that it wasn't the same one as before, don't you think?"

"Clearly you're like a magnet to them…"

"Wh…WHAT?"

"I can just see it now: 'Kazahaya chow, for all good vampires…"

"O-OI! Ah… so… you believe in vampires now?"

"No."

"BUT…! But earlier you saw? He was going to drink my blood!"

"Whatever…"

"RIKUOU! UGH, YOU'RE SO DAMN STUBBORN!"

"Shut up and go to sleep."

"NO WA! Uggghhh…Iteee…"

-

Somewhere deep inside the house…

A fuzzy orange glow surrounded an average looking card…

"Pumpkin Fish" written upon it in gothic script… And a picture of a familiar looking creature with orange scales and black, hollow, carved features…

The tinkle of a bell… the glow flickering…

Before slowly fading… energy dissolving…

Until the same time next year…

* * *

**OWARI! XD**


End file.
